Are You Tough Enough
by SleepyNTiredX1
Summary: Our favorite Smallville High gang is back with an little addition to the group. They decide to take up summer jobs; little do they know what their new principal has planned for them.


"Are You Tough Enough?"  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really have to say that I'm a completely broke thirteen year old that absolutely does not, in any way, own "Smallville" and that I'm only doing this for fun and enjoyment over the summer? DO I???  
  
Summary: Our favorite Smallville High gang's back together again with a little addition to their crew. They all decide to take part in some summer activities to rack up some brownie points on the good 'ol college application. They choose the projects that interest them; little do they know what their new principal has planned for them.  
  
Author's Note: There are a couple of things that I'd like you, the reader, to keep in mind after you finish reading my story. One: this is the least little itsy-bitsy bit of a spoiler for next season. Second: this is my first fan fiction and I've read many other Smallville fan fictions and have watched episodes after episodes of the show. While one may think that because I have done all of that, that the cast in my story will be in character. But there's a small chance of happening, so when you review, just tell me if they're in character or not. Third: now, speaking of reviewing, I know that FF.net did not put that sacred review button on the bottom of this page just to make it look pretty.well, there's a possibility of that happening, but that's not what it's there for. Since this is my first fan fiction, please go easy on the reviews. I appreciate constructive criticism as well as some suggestions as to what you want to happen in the story.but remember! I have ideas for MY story too. So PLEASE REVIEW MY STORY!!! You know you want to.=p  
  
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Date: Friday, June 14, 2002  
  
Time: 2:35 pm.  
  
Location: Smallville High School  
  
There stood Smallville High in all its glory.or lack thereof. Whichever way you look at it, it still stood there. And while it was summer, the halls were somewhat filled with roaming students, as if it were the first day of school. Kids asking where what was where and where was what; teachers pointing and directing those lost children to specific rooms to go to or a certain hall to go down. It was complete chaos and it was all for their college applications.  
  
Clark walked down the hall, stopped, and then entered the room to his left. There weren't many kids inside the room; most of which were probably kids from the chess club. Clark walked over to one table and on the table was a sheet that had "Journalism" written across the top. He picked up the paper to read what the details on the paper.  
  
"Looking into journalism eh, Mr. Kent?"  
  
Clark quickly turned around to find a man that was near his height and didn't look a day over thirty. He wore a black blazer with a white shirt inside with a black tie and pants. If he had a pair of Rayban sunglasses and a neurolizer, he would've looked like an extra from "Men In Black 2". "I don't believe we've met."  
  
"Let me introduce myself," said the man with a smile on his face. He extended his hand out to shake Clark's hand. "I'm the new principal, Principal Reynolds."  
  
Rumors about the new principal floated around Smallville, but none of them landed to be true or false. Some said he used to work as a professor in Metropolis and left because he had an affair with a student. Others were more trivial, like he somehow had a connection with Lex. A few of these came to Clark's mind.  
  
"Nice to meet you sir," Clark said as he shook Principal Reynolds's hand.  
  
"Likewise, son." He flashed a smile.  
  
Clark looked at the man with an uncertain look and then asked, "How do you know my name?"  
  
The man looked Clark straight in the eye with a smile and answered, "I was looking through the year book this morning when I got here. I never forget a face. I see that you're interested in journalism. It's an excellent choice for a career."  
  
"Actually, I'm not here for me. I just got finished choosing my projects and my friend, Chloe, just got back from Metropolis for an internship with the Daily Planet and she wanted me to check it out for her."  
  
"Yes, I've seen her work. Quite impressive. But, you, Mr. Kent, I have seen your work also. You don't write much, but I believe you have the potential to do better!" There was that smile again. Reynolds looked down at his watch and looked back up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, son, I have to be getting somewhere. It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Kent." He shook Clark's hand again and left.  
  
As Mr. Reynolds left, a young girl came in. Stopping at the doorway, she eyed the new principal suspiciously and continued into the room. She was about 5'3 with somewhat long brown hair with highlights. She had brown eyes and had a pretty face. Wearing a khaki jacket with a white t-shirt inside and baggy khaki pants, you could tell that she was a tomboy. She walked up to Clark and snatched the paper out of his hand.  
  
"Journalism? What, are you planning to be a reporter or something?" asked the girl. "I can see it now: Clark Kent, investigative reporter," she continued as she extended her arms out as if she were reading a newspaper headline with a smile on her face. Clark just looked back at her with skepticism.  
  
"Hey, are you done with choosing your projects yet?" Clark asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm done. Come on, we have to get out of here. Too much school thingies, too early. Besides, I need a caffeine fix."  
  
As they both left the room and walked down the hall that led to the main entrance and exit, the young girl looked back at Clark. "You know, the day that you become a reporter is gonna be the day when man can fly."  
  
:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:  
  
Time: 2:47 pm.  
  
Location: The Talon  
  
The Talon was filled with its usual customers. Entering the threshold of the caffeine palace of Smallville were Pete and Chloe, walking over to the counter where one of the waitresses was. After they gave her their orders, they walked over to a table.  
  
"Didn't you say our International Man of Mystery was gonna be here?" Chloe asked turning to Pete.  
  
"Yeah, but you know Clark," answered Pete.  
  
As if on cue, Clark walked in with the young girl from before. He momentarily scanned the room for his friends and when he found them he walked over to the table and sat down.  
  
"Clark, I didn't know you signed up for summer babysitting," teased Pete.  
  
"Ha, ha. Actually, I don't know if you're gonna remember, but this is my cousin, Grace, from Metropolis. A soon-to-be Smallville High student," said Clark as he and Grace got settled. He introduced to Grace to Chloe, who gave her a handshake, and to Pete, who not only gave her a handshake but also a kiss on the hand which caused Grace to blush. Then Clark spoke again. "Just to give you guys a little warning, she may look like an innocent angel, but she's really a little devil."  
  
"Oh, please, don't hold back the compliments," said Grace with a sarcastic tone in her voice which then turned lightly serious. "Just because I got into a little trouble before, doesn't necessarily mean that I'm bad."  
  
"A little trouble? You call getting at least twenty-eight detentions and five suspensions a 'little trouble'?" Clark asked in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault that I feel like I have to protect some kids that get messed around with," she said in her defense. "Besides, the kids that started the fights were really annoying." The group laughed at her comments. Soon, a waitress came by with Pete and Chloe's order and she took Clark and Grace's orders and left. They discussed about what they were going to do over the summer. Chloe reminded her two friends that she was going to Metropolis for the internship at the Daily Planet. Pete, on the other hand, had completely different plans.  
  
"A lifeguard? You're gonna be a lifeguard? Tell me you're kidding," said Chloe with a laugh.  
  
"Why? What's wrong if he wants to be a lifeguard?" asked Grace with curiosity.  
  
"Well, this being Pete, and the fact that he chose to be a lifeguard during the summer, it usually has something to do with girls," Clark answered for her.  
  
"Correct you are, Clark," replied Pete with a grin on his face. "Once I enter the pool, the ladies will be all over me like white on rice." Another laugh erupted from the group. They continued talking about their summer plans until Grace said she wanted to go home. Clark quickly protested this.  
  
"Why do you wanna go home now? It's not like there's anything to do there," said Clark.  
  
Grace looked at her cousin in amusement. She knew that he was hiding something. She started to answer. "Well, I want to go help your parents with the chores and dinner. More to the point, you're hiding something from me and I wanna find out."  
  
Clark continued to protest but eventually ended in defeat. They both said bye to Pete and Chloe and left.  
  
:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:  
  
Time: 4:35 pm.  
  
Location: Kent house - Kitchen/Dinner room  
  
The two teens entered the house only to be hit with the strong scent of an apple pie baking in the oven. They both headed to the kitchen, making a slight glance at the banner above the entrance that had "WELCOME GRACE" written on it. In the kitchen they saw that the dinner table was filled with food that could have probably fed all of Smallville. Then they saw Martha quickly running down the stairs like a fire was raging upstairs.  
  
"Hi Clark. Hi Grace," she said as she rushed passed them towards the oven. Stopping before the oven, she had a look of thought etched across her face. Turning around, she saw Clark and Grace standing under the banner with grins on their faces. "Clark! Grace! I thought that you were going to go to the Talon. You're not supposed to be here for another twenty minutes."  
  
"Well, Grace decided to come back home to help out with the chores and dinner, but I see you've got everything under control here, Mom," Clark said with a smile.  
  
"Is all this for me?" Grace asked in amazement. No one had ever made an effort to give her a surprise dinner before. Not even her parents.  
  
"Yes, it is, sweetheart." Jonathan had come in through back door with a bouquet of yellow roses. He walked over and presented it to her with a hug.  
  
Martha had taken the apple pie out from the oven and placed it in the middle of the table. "Everyone, dinner is now served." Everyone had taken their places and dug in.  
  
During dinner, Martha had noticed the necklace that Grace was wearing. It was an upside pentagon with diamonds around the sides. In the middle of it was the letter 'S' which was sparkling with the diamonds that filled it. "That's a beautiful necklace that you have there, Grace." Both Clark and his father turned their attention away from their food to the necklace and nodded in agreement.  
  
Angel looked down at her necklace and smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. My mom got it for me last year for Christmas."  
  
"What does the 'S' stand for?" asked Jonathan.  
  
"See, the kids back in Metropolis had this nickname for me: Supergirl. It came from the way that I single handedly fought off this bully who was messing with this other kid. He was at least three times as big as me." Grace had a small proud smile on her face but was soon replaced with a line. The end result was that she got suspended. The bully was confronted by the principal and had an alibi. According to him and a couple other people that he threatened, he was in the after-school tutoring program. Grace had experienced the many more encounters like this and ended up the same way. Her standing up for a troubled kid against someone bigger and stronger only to end up having the bully won the fight. Each time this happened, her parents only got madder and madder at her for getting in trouble. They sometimes even called her a "freak" for being able to be that strong. Although the idea her parents had of her was a negative one, the idea that the kids around the school had of her was a very positive one. She was considered Earth's angel; a hero in her own right.  
  
After dinner, Grace headed upstairs to the guest room which was now, officially, her room.  
  
Inside, the side of the bed was leaned against the wall with the window. In the corner across from it, was a desk with a computer on it. Next, was a dresser drawer. On top of it were pictures of Grace's old friends and one picture of her parents. The wall across from the window was another dresser drawer with a mirror. On that was the bouquet that Jonathan gave her in a vase. The rest were perfume, make-up, and other stuff of that nature. Her closet was already filled with her clothes. By looking into her closet you could tell that she had a diverse taste in fashion. On one side of the closet were her preppy clothes; the flare jeans and khakis, tight shirts with cute little sayings on them, and white, red, and blue blouses. Next to that was her sporty section of clothing: basketball jerseys of her favorite players, sweat pants, and Nike shirts. Then came the punk/skater clothes; baggy pants with or without pockets everywhere and loose fitting t-shirts. At the other end of the closet was her leather jacket and jean jacket.  
  
Outside her window, the sky shone a fiery orange with the mixture of a hot pink. The clouds were floating with the colors orange, hot pink, pale blue, and lavender. It signaled that it was twilight and her aunt and uncle would be getting ready to leave to Metropolis for the weekend. She decided to take a nap from all of what happened today. Soon, she would land her vessel of reality onto the shores of sleep.  
  
:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:  
  
Time: 8:45 pm.  
  
Location: Kent house: Grace's room, living room - Center of Town, the Talon  
  
When Grace woke up, it was already night. The faint tint from twilight still lingered in the midnight blue sky. She looked at her nightstand where her clock was and quickly got out of her bed. She switched her white shirt with a black shirt and her khaki pants with black baggy jeans. To top it off, she took out her leather jacket. Grace looked at herself in the mirror and headed to the door, quietly opening it.  
  
As she walked down the stairs silently, she stopped, noticing that Clark was talking to a bald man and a brunette. The bald man soon left and Clark and the brunette walked towards the living room. They sat down on the couch and watched a movie that they were previously watching. Grace continued to stealthily descend the stairs and made her way out the back door.  
  
With a quick dash to the center of town, Grace had made it under five seconds. She walked around till she made it to the Talon. When Clark and her went to the Talon earlier that day, she noticed a flier that said that one of her favorite bands was playing. She made the decision to check them out live when she first saw the flier. Entering the threshold of the coffee palace, Grace saw that most of the Talon was filled. Luckily, she saw a free table and sat down.  
  
As soon as she sat down, the band graced the stage with their presence. They quickly settled down where their instruments were and started to play.  
  
"You're my distance  
  
Destination of choice  
  
I'd give anything just to hear your voice  
  
I could've passed you on the street  
  
Without saying a word  
  
Most times, I miss the voice  
  
That goes unheard."  
  
*Meanwhile*  
  
Lana lay on the couch, watching the television screen intently. Clark was sitting on the floor, in front of Lana, giving all his attention to the tube. The two of them have been watching the movie "Shrek". It was the scene where Shrek had to escape the dragon with Donkey in one arm and Princess Fiona in the other. A breath of relief escaped from both Lana and Clark's mouths as they saw the ogre, donkey, and princess on the other side of the dragon's lair. Clark looked down at his watch and excused himself. He told Lana that he had to go check on his cousin. When he reached Grace's room, there was a sign on the door that read, "If you enter this room and disturb me, there will be hell to pay tomorrow morning". Completely disregarding the sign, Clark entered the room. He walked over to the bed to find Grace under the covers fast asleep, silently breathing. Walking out of the room and quietly shutting the door, Clark made his way back downstairs and sat on the couch with Lana, not know that under the covers was really pillows and a tape recorder playing.  
  
:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:~*~:  
  
Time: 10:30 pm.  
  
Location: Smallville - bridge  
  
The concert was over. Grace decided walked home, taking in the fresh air of the country. The night sky was filled with the shimmering stars that shone even brighter by the light of the moon. The leaves on the trees were completely beautiful in their radiance in the moonlight. Grace continued to walk onto a bridge that overlooked a river. She stopped to admire the beauty of it. The stars looked like little sparkling diamonds in the water.  
  
Nothing but silence filled the air. That was until the sound of a car nearby echoed in the area. Grace cautiously looked up from the river and found no car. A couple seconds later, the lights of a car flashed at Grace, but before she could move out of the way, she already found herself flying into the river. Luckily for the driver, he or she was able to go back in reverse and drive off.  
  
Grace opened her eyes underwater and quickly swam to shore. She looked for the mad driver that hit her into the river. She checked herself for cuts or any bruises, but to her surprise, found absolutely none. Amazed, she stopped to think about what just happened.  
  
"Wait a minute and hold on. I was just hit by a car into that river. I was still alive when I got to the shore. I check myself for any damage, but miraculously find none. What the...?"  
  
Suddenly the lights of another car flashed at her but stopped. The driver got out walked over to Grace. It was the bald man that Clark was talking to before at home. Before she could say anything, the bald man extended his hand out and introduced himself.  
  
"Hi, I'm Lex. I'm a friend of your cousin, Clark." A beat passed between them. "Get in the car."  
  
  
  
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So, how do you like it? Good? Bad? Well, tell me in you're review! :D 


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